The New Addition
by kandyshipper
Summary: “Sandy, you know how we always wanted another child after Seth and we just never quite got around to it and then when Ryan came into our family we felt complete and…” updated 71005
1.

**Title: The New Addition**

**Fandom: _The O.C._**

**Author: Femslashqueen**

**Rating: PG**

**Pairing: Kirsten/Sandy**

**Archive: Ask first**

**Spoilers: None**

**Part: 1/?**

**Summary: "Sandy, you know how we always wanted another child after Seth and we just never quite got around to it and then when Ryan came into our family we felt complete and..." **

**A/N: Written for Gabby who has being harassing me for Kandy fluff with babies since I first mentioned it about a month ago**

Kirsten sat on the edge of the doctor's table, nervously rubbing the loose paper sheet lining it between her fingers, swinging her legs back and forth like a nervous child, she was still in shock, she had taken the home pregnancy test the day before, not really expecting a positive result, this was unplanned but she was happy, she wanted this, Sandy she wasn't quite so sure about.

Her doctor appeared from a door just behind the examining table, startling her slightly. The woman, Dr. Annie Williams began to speak in her soft Irish accent that was always soothing to Kirsten, "We have your test results back and based on the dates you have given, you are about nine weeks pregnant."

Kirsten smiled, she and Sandy had always planned on having another child after Seth, they had decided to wait a while because Seth was well Seth and he was a bit of a handful, they had never really planned on waiting 17 years though.

Dr. Williams gave Kirsten strict instructions about not overworking herself and a prescription for pre-natal vitamins before setting up an appointment for two weeks time.

Kirsten drove to Bellini's an Italian restaurant that she and Sandy have always loved, and picked him up an extra large serving of Lasagne and a side of garlic bread for herself, if she remembered one thing from being pregnant with Seth it was that Morning Sickness is merely a euphemism, she had been sick day and night for almost three months with Seth and unfortunately it didn't look as if it was going to be any different this time around. But garlic bread she could stomach, she hoped.

She had decided while waiting for her test results that if the doctor confirmed she was pregnant she would tell Sandy over lunch, then assuming that went well they would tell the boys tonight. She was beginning to have second thoughts as she drove to his office, _what if Sandy doesn't want this? What if we are too old to do this again?_ She wanted to turn the car around and go home. She could always tell him tomorrow; maybe she should wait another three weeks, just in case.

She ended up at Sandy's office anyway. He greeted her in the parking lot with a kiss.

"It's a beautiful day, we should eat in the park." He said wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pointing the park across the street.

"Ok." She replied smiling nervously.

The walked the slow distance to the park hand in hand, Kirsten relaxing under her husbands touch, they sat down at a bench under a large fig tree, she handed Sandy his lasagne, he ate quickly while she nibbled at the edges of her garlic bread.

"Kirsten, you ok?" he asked between mouthfuls, "you look a little pale."

She nodded slowly before starting, "Sandy, you know how we always wanted another child after Seth and we just never quite got around to it and then when Ryan came into our family we felt complete and..."

Sandy had always known that inside she had become a true Cohen, capable of rambling with the best of them, although unlike the Cohen boys she often found herself unable to get to the eventual point not that it mattered this time, Sandy had already figured out what she was going to say, he had suspected as much for about a week now.

"The point is I'm pregnant." She finished her voice barely above a whisper.

Sandy grinned; he had always wanted this, assuming of course that she did.

"You're happy?" she asked uncertainly.

"Do I look happy?" he asked laughing slightly.

"Yeah." She smiled slightly.

"Are you happy?" he asked although her widening smile served as answer enough.

"Yes." She barely managed to get out before Sandy pulled her in for a long, slow kiss.

She curled up on the park bench and lay against Sandy's shoulder for what felt like forever with him stroking her hair, she hadn't being this happy in a long time, she could tell from the look on his face that he hadn't either.

"Kirsten, I need to get back." He said interrupting the silence.

"Okay, I'll see you tonight. I'm working on a way to tell the boys." She laughed.

"That is going to be an interesting conversation." He said giving her one last kiss.

"We aren't too old for this are we?" she called after him.

"We are young at heart, that is what counts." He yelled back as he disappeared into the building.

Ryan and Seth cleared away the dishes before beginning to retreat to the den to play video games, sandy and Kirsten called them back.

"Uh, we have some news." Kirsten said her throat dry.

"This can't wait until later, there are ninjas waiting to be destroyed." Seth moaned.

"Seth, I think the ninjas can wait." Ryan said picking up on Kirsten's nervousness.

"Ok." Seth groaned sitting back down at the table, Ryan sat next to him.

"Um, I really don't know what to say so I'll just say it, I'm pregnant." Kirsten blurted out twirling a stray strand of her hair between her fingers.

The announcement was greeted with silence.

"Holy god, that means my parents have being having sex, I'm scarred for life." Seth gasped as soon as he had regained the ability to speak.

"That's great." Ryan said getting up and giving Kirsten a hug.

"Ryan, don't feel that you are any less wanted now, you are part of the family now." Kirsten whispered to him as she returned his embrace.

"Ok." Ryan replied feeling strangely teary-eyed.

"Thanks mom and dad, first you bring Ryan into the family stealing my only-child status now you are stealing my only biological child status as well." Seth moaned.

"You'll love being big brothers. Both of you and even if you don't you get to leave and go to college in a few years anyway." Sandy laughed at Seth's antics.

Sandy walked across to where Kirsten and Ryan were still standing and took hold of his her waist, "I hope you don't mind me stealing her away from you Ryan." He laughed as he spun her around to kiss her.

"I really am scarred for life now." Seth moaned.

"Go and play video games." Sandy and Kirsten both said at the same time.

"Ok, Ok were going." Seth said as he and Ryan exited the room.

Sandy kissed Kirsten slow and deep before whispering "I love you."

"I love you too." She replied resting her head on his shoulder.

"So you really think we can do this?" she asked.

"Haven't got a doubt in the world." He replied running a reassuring hand along her back.


	2. 

Sandy rolls over to face his wife, eyes still heavy with sleep, she is lying on her side facing towards him, still in a deep sleep, there is no way she will be waking up soon not that he minds, there is nothing he loves more than just lying there in bed and watching her. It has been a month since she told him and he is still a little disbelieving, they hadn't planned on it happening, she had taken nine weeks to realize she was pregnant or at least to get the courage up to take the test, it seems so new to him, almost as if he has never been though it before, 16 years is a long time, the first three weeks he was cautious not to get too excited, he knew the risks of miscarriage during the first trimester and especially considering the fact that they aren't exactly young anymore he was unusually reserved.

This morning she is lying facing him, her hands twisted behind her back, she always sleeps like that, with her hands twisted. He wonders how she can possibly be comfortable. The first three years of their marriage he used to reposition her during the night but come morning she would be twisted up again, after three years he gave up. Her hair is falling into her eyes, obscuring his view of her face but he can still see a faint smile creeping onto her lips. His eyes skim down her body, her breasts seem maybe a little larger but it is hard to tell while she is laying down, the black silk of her nightgown is clinging to every curve and bump of her body, he notices for the first time that her tummy is sticking out, just a little, enough for him to notice though, everything suddenly seems much more real and he can't resist reaching out and placing his hand on the tiny bump.

Kirsten wakes to find Sandy's hand on her stomach, a look of pure awe on his face, "Morning Honey." She says sleepily. "I was wondering when you were going to notice that."

Sandy places a lazy early morning kiss on her cheek. "I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, well maybe, but I don't mind, better than being woken up because I need to pee or throw-up." She smiled.

The last month had been hard on her, she was sick, pretty much every day, tired, well more than tired, exhausted, she had woken him one night last week sobbing that she was so tired she couldn't sleep, she had been pretty miserable, Caleb surprisingly had given her as much time off work as she needed so at least that wasn't an issue, Caleb actually seemed to be excited that he was going to be a grandfather again, which was a stark contrast to last time.

"The baby is too small for you too feel you know?" she asks only half jokingly.

"Yes, I've been reading the same books you have." He shot back defensively before softening, "This makes it seem more real, you know."

"I know." She replied, she felt the exact same way, when she had first noticed that she was beginning to show, she had burst into tears, a combination of pure joy and being scared half to death because this was really happening, not that the throwing up several times a day, peeing constantly and almost falling asleep after being awake for only a few hours hadn't made it real but actually seeing visual proof was something entirely different altogether.

"You hungry?" Sandy asked his stomach making a rumbling sound.

"Yeah, a little." She admitted although all she wanted to do was lay in bed with Sandy underneath the covers enjoying the morning.

She rolled out of bed and grabbed her robe, draping it around her shoulders without actually putting it on, mainly because she wanted to see if Seth or Ryan noticed her bump.

Sandy wraps his hand around her waist as they walk downstairs.

"Gross mom, robe!" Seth squeals as they enter the kitchen.

"Hey." Ryan greets them.

Seth is getting up to do his mother's robe up for her, when he suddenly stops, "Look Ryan, mom's got a little bump, is that the baby or did you just eat too much last night?"

Kirsten swats her son's arm, "Pretty cool, huh?" she asks him.

"Yeah." He says quietly.

Ryan, never one to be outspoken quietly chooses that moment to ask, "Have you thought about names yet?"

Suddenly the kitchen erupts with people yelling over people yelling over people; Ryan could have sworn there were 300 people in the room, not three.


	3. 

"I think that Clark is a good strong name." Seth declared loudly.

"There is no way I'm naming my kid after Superman and anyway, it's a girl." Kirsten said over the top of him.

"And how exactly do you know it's a girl honey?" Sandy asked adding, "Clark isn't a Jewish name."

"I can just tell Sandy." Kirsten was practically yelling to be heard over Seth's random name suggestions, most of them coming from characters in graphic novels and Sandy's repeated declarations that his kid was going to have a name that was remotely Jewish.

Ryan sat back, keeping quiet and watched the scene bemused.

"You thought Seth was a girl too." Sandy pointed out changing his line of thought.

"Well it feels different this time, I can just tell." Kirsten shot back.

"Hey mom, maybe that has something to do with the fact that you are 17 years older this time." Seth laughed.

Kirsten playfully swatted her son across the back of the head.

"I don't really care how old your mom is she is still as sexy as she was the day I married her." Sandy interjected.

"Gross dad, please stop now." Seth groaned as he sat down at the kitchen table.

Kirsten grabbed some bowls and random boxes of cereal from the pantry while Sandy grabbed some milk and spoons before sitting down with the two boys.

"Ryan you started all this. Do you have any thoughts on a name?" Sandy asked as he poured himself a bowl of granola.

"Not Clark, I've never really given it much thought really." Ryan shrugged.

"I like Ella." Kirsten declared.

"Like short for Gabriella or Raphaella?" Seth asked.

"No, just Ella." Kirsten replied.

"I like that too." Ryan said quietly.

"Good, nice to know I have someone on my side." Kirsten smiled.

"I'm still saying it's a boy." Sandy said.

"I'm with dad on that." Seth added.

"Are you going to find out?" Ryan asked.

"No." Sandy said shaking his head emphatically, "It's more fun not knowing."

Kirsten simply nodded her head in agreement.

"We didn't know with Seth." Sandy said, "Kirsten was so disappointed when the doctor said 'it's a boy.' She had convinced herself that Seth was going to be a girl."

"I was not disappointed." Kirsten smiled.

"So if Seth was a girl what would you have called him?" Ryan asked, surprising himself with his talkativeness, normally he was more than willing to let Seth and Sandy do all the talking, he and Kirsten were merely their audience but this morning both he and Kirsten were unusually chatty.

"Elisha Juliet Cohen." Kirsten and Sandy replied at the same time.

"And your reason for adding the 'Cohen' in that sentence was what exactly?" Seth asked.

Both Sandy and Kirsten shrugged.

"My mom would have called me Lindsay if I were a girl." Ryan said quietly.

Kirsten's head snapped up fro her bowl of coco puffs, she was always fascinated by any glimpse of his life before coming to the even if it was something as simple as knowing what his parents would have named him had he been a member of the opposing gender.

There were a few moments silence before Seth asked "So mom, when exactly are you due anyway?"

"December 5th." Kirsten replied simply.

"So even if it is like two weeks late the baby will be here in time for at least the Christmas part of Chrismukkah right?" Seth asked.

"I guess so." Kirsten replied after quickly doing the math, "and if this one is anything like you she will be here for all parts of Chrismukkah and Thanksgiving too, you are born three weeks early."

"Well mom, dad, Ryan and I have to get going, we are meeting Summer down at the pier and I would like to get out of here before you start with the embarrassing stories." Seth said quickly practically dragging Ryan away from the table.

Sandy and Kirsten quickly cleaned up the table, when they were done Sandy pulled his wife in for a long passionate kiss, after which his hand again wondered down to her tummy, and her little bump, she lay her head on his shoulder and whispered "I love you Sanford Cohen."

"I love you too." He whispered back.


	4. 

Sandy woke up to the sound of his Kirsten sobbing quietly, not exactly an unusual occurrence of late, pregnancy hormones, and all that good stuff, he checks the clock, 3:47am before rolling over to face her.

Her bump is far more substantial, she looks pregnant, everyday it seems more real, she is 17 weeks along now, she is lying on her side facing him, hands on her tummy, trails of tears she hasn't bothered to wipe away run down her cheeks.

He reaches out to wipe away her tears, softly asking "What's up baby?"

"Nothing, I couldn't sleep so I was just lying here and I felt the baby move, it's a little overwhelming, that's all." She sobs.

Sandy kisses his wife on the forehead before drawing her into a hug, ""Its okay." He says running a hand through her hair, letting her cry against his chest.

Kirsten's sobs finally slow down and stop, she pulls away from Sandy's embrace slightly, "Sorry." She says her voice croaky.

"For what?" Sandy asks as he wriggles back down the bed into a comfortable sleeping position.

"For waking you up at four in the morning." Kirsten replies rolling over and closing her eyes exhausted, one hand twisted up behind her back in its usual position, the other still lying on her belly.

"Is the baby still moving?" Sandy asks yawning.

Kirsten just nods in reply.

"What does it feel like?" Sandy asks sleepy but too compelled to close his eyes.

"Like I have butterflies in my stomach, except a little lower down." She smiled her voice beginning to slur from tiredness.

"Cool." Sandy mumbles as he closes his eyes unable to muster a better response.

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Kirsten's eyes flutter open and the first thing she is aware of is Sandy's absence, quickly followed by the increasing familiar sensation of the baby's movements.

She rolls over, rather awkwardly thanks to her growing belly to check the alarm clock on Sandy's bedside table; the sun is high in the sky, much higher than when she usually wakes she notes, probably because it is 11:55am.

"Damn." She says out loud to no one in particular before remembering that her dad had given her the day off to do some shopping.

She slowly sits up and drags herself towards the bathroom, 25 minutes later she is showered and made up, going through her closet trying to find some clothes to wear, she finally settled on one of Sandy's button down white shirts and a pair of loose fitting linen pants along with a pair of leather flip flops, her feet are already starting to swell.

She gathered up her purse and her car keys deciding that since half the day was already gone she would get something to eat once she was down at the South Coast Plaza.

She was just about to leave when the doorbell rang.

"Hey Julie." She said trying to sound enthusiastic, while things had improved substantially between them Julie Nichol wasn't exactly her favorite person in the world.

"Hi!" Julie exclaimed brightly planting a kiss on Kirsten's cheek, "I'm so happy I didn't miss you, Caleb said that you were going shopping today for maternity clothes, baby furniture, all that stuff, he also said you didn't like being on your own that much and he thought maybe I should come."

"Sure Julie that would be great." Kirsten said hesitantly silently cursing her father, although Julie and Caleb were right she didn't like being alone right now, which was unusual for her, she was normally the type of person who could go days without speaking to anyone and be perfectly happy but for whatever reason she was finding the company of others, even Julie comforting.

"Great, I'll drive." Julie said grabbing the keys from Kirsten's hands.

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Kirsten threw the bags full of shopping she was carrying onto the couch and walked into the kitchen where her three boys were having dinner.

"Hey mom." Seth greeted her.

"Hi Kirsten." Ryan said quietly.

"Hi beautiful." Sandy said getting up and kissing her.

"I'm eating here. Disgusting." Seth said mockingly sticking his fingers down his throat.

"How was your day, Julie wasn't too painful?" Sandy asked resting his head on her shoulder.

"Not too bad, she was surprisingly helpful actually, the only problem my feet have swollen to about 10 times their usual size." Kirsten replied taking a cue from her son and melodramatically sticking her lower lip out into a pout.

"I get the message." Sandy laughed lifting his wife up and carrying her to the couch.

Kirsten lay down and Sandy massaged her feet, she moaned in relief, they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"I think I need to talk to Ryan." Kirsten blurted out suddenly.

"Why?" Sandy asked slightly concerned.

"I'm still worried that he is too on edge, I want to make sure he feels like he is part of this family, part of this. He is too quiet." She said quietly.

"Yeah, I guess." Sandy replied.

Kirsten pulled herself up into a sitting position, "I love you Sandy."

"I love you too" he smiled kissing her.

"I'm gonna talk to him." Kirsten said leaning down to kiss Sandy one last time before walking off to the pool house.


	5. 

Kirsten knocked on the door of the pool house, going over the speech she had come up with while Sandy was massaging her feet.

"Come in." Ryan yelled.

Kirsten entered the room, Ryan was lying on the bed, freshly showered, wearing a wifebeater and a pair of sweatpants; he looked like he was ready for bed.

Ryan had tensed up when he saw Kirsten standing in the doorway instead of Seth, he hoped she didn't notice.

"I can come back later, if you want." Kirsten stuttered, her pervious confidence having disappeared.

"No it's OK." He said quietly sitting up.

"Are you sure?" Kirsten asked taking a few more steps into the room.

Ryan nodded.

Kirsten walked over to the couch that faced Ryan's bed and sat on the edge of it for a second before getting up again, eventually deciding to sit on Ryan's bed.

Ryan tensed up further when Kirsten sat on the bed, this time Kirsten noticed.

"Ryan, relax, I'm not going to break." Kirsten said forcing a laugh.

"Sorry, I've gotta stop doing that, I've never been around a pregnant woman before, except Theresa and we all know how that ended." Ryan relaxed a little but he was still obviously on edge, "What did you want to talk about? That is what you are here for, right? To talk." Ryan said, more harshly than he had meant to.

"About you." Kirsten replied unfazed by Ryan's defensiveness, even after 18 months they were both still a little skittish about talking to each other one-on-one.

"That's what I was afraid of." Ryan muttered under his breath.

"What?" Kirsten asked.

"Nothing." Ryan replied a little too quickly but Kirsten let it slide.

"What about me?" Ryan asked knowing full well what she was going to say, he was surprised that it had taken her this long to confront him.

"You seem nervous all of a sudden, sometimes you are helpful and involved, overly so and then other times you cut yourself off from us completely." Kirsten said choosing her words carefully, she wanted Ryan to tell her what was on his mind not regurgitate words she put in his mouth.

Ryan stared blankly ahead, not saying a word for what felt like an eternity.

"Are you scared?" Kirsten asked already knowing the answer to her own question, he was obviously terrified and she had a pretty good idea why, the morning Dawn had left she had walked into the pool house to find him crying silently, she had sat next to him, placing a comforting hand onto his shoulder being careful not to get too close, after a few minutes she had asked him if he was scared, he eventually admitted that he was scared that after a while he would screw up again and they would kick him out and this time he would have no one.

Kirsten had promised him they would always be there for him, that day, nothing was about to change now.

Ryan nodded but said nothing although he knew that Kirsten wouldn't leave the pool house until she heard what she already knew from him, Kirsten is the kind of person who is always 10 steps ahead, she can read people, know what they are going to say, what they are thinking, she is also incredibly persistent.

"You're going to kick me out, after the baby is born." He said quickly before continuing, 'I understand why, I can't blame you, you..."

Kirsten thought her heart would break if he continued. "Ryan, you are my son." she cut him off, her voice gentle but firm.

"But..." Ryan started to protest, his voice breaking but Kirsten cut him off.

"Ryan, I love you, Sandy loves you, it doesn't matter that you are not mine biologically, nothing will change that, ever." Kirsten said her voice cracking.

"OK." Ryan said although he didn't quite believe it.

Ryan turned to face Kirsten, her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears, he hated it when she cried, although it was a sight he was becoming more accustomed to, he had caught her crying a few times over the last couple of months, on those occasions he had simply left the room. When he had mentioned it to Sandy, sandy had laughed and explained that the pregnancy hormones were the cause and that when Kirsten was pregnant with Seth she would literally cry over spilled milk.

"Are you OK?" He asked Kirsten quietly.

"I'm fine." Kirsten said as she took as shuddering breath and tried to steady herself, she failed miserably and the tears overflowed anyway.

Ryan drew her into an uncertain hug and remembering that Sandy had said more often than not all she needs is a little reassurance he simply said "It's gonna be OK."

Kirsten pulled away a few seconds later, "I'm sorry." She said quietly clearly embarrassed.

"Don't be." Ryan said giving a slight laugh.

"I'm gonna head to bed." Kirsten said wiping her eyes.

"Night." Ryan mumbled as he lay down again.

"Good night.' Kirsten called as she exited the pool house.

Ryan didn't know why but he believed her when she made him promises, she hadn't broken one yet, had she?


	6. 

Kirsten sat in the waiting room of Dr. Abigail McDonald; the OB/GYN Dr. Williams had referred her to, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies. When Kirsten had heard the words high-risk during her first appointment she had panicked until Dr. Williams explained that her pregnancy was immediately deemed high-risk because of her age and that nothing at all was wrong.

She nervously intertwined her fingers before placing her hands over her growing belly, smiling slightly when the baby responded with a firm kick, over the last month the baby's movements had become both increasingly frequent and much stronger, not much like butterflies anymore, more like the baby had a soccer ball in there with it, not that it bothered her, she found the sensation more comforting than anything else, as long as it kept moving she knew everything was okay.

Today they were getting the results of her amniocentesis, and she was beginning to panic slightly, she could feel her heartrate increasing with each passing minute despite her attempts to calm herself down knowing that her having a panic attack wasn't going to do her or the baby any good, Sandy wasn't there yet, they were meeting at Dr. McDonald's office during their lunch hours, she silently prayed for him to show up as her hands started to shake.

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Sandy breezed into the waiting room 10 minutes later than he had intended too but he was actually in trial right now so he couldn't leave the court until it was adjourned and then of course, today the traffic had to be a total nightmare. 'How the hell did Newport even have traffic jams, the population is only 70,000' he thought to himself hoping he hadn't missed the appointment altogether.

He caught sight of Kirsten sitting in the corner of the room as soon as he entered and could tell even at a distance 20 feet that her hands were shaking, he rushed over to her and placed a kiss on her forehead before sitting down next to her and placing his hands over her own in an effort to calm her.

"It's gonna be okay." He whispers over and over again in her ear until he feels her hands relax and her heartrate slow.

Kirsten mumbles something that sounds a lot like "How the hell do you know?" in reply to his proclamations that things will be okay, he is about to ask her to repeat what she said when the perky blonde nurse calls their names, he helps Kirsten up and wraps his arm around her shoulder steadying her as they walk into the office.

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Dr. McDonald's smile is warm as she greets Sandy and Kirsten; she can see the fear in Kirsten's eyes as the Cohen's sit opposite her so she decides to give them the results before going over Kirsten's standard checks for the week, blood pressure which will probably be through the roof due to her nervousness, blood sugar, measurements.

"How are you feeling?" she asks as she sits at the desk facing the Cohen's.

"Not so great right now." Kirsten admits blushing slightly, "I was panicking a little bit out there."

Dr. McDonald smiles as she watches Sandy put a comforting hand on Kirsten's shoulder.

"We have your results..." she started.

"And?" Sandy butted in nervously before she could finish speaking.

"Everything is normal." She finished.

She watched as relief washed over Sandy's face and Kirsten's eyes welled up with tears of relief and joy, she let Sandy wipe the tears away from his wife's eyes before standing up and gently placing a blood pressure cuff around Kirsten's upper arm.

"130/85, a little high but not unexpected considering your nervousness." She said out loud as the machine beeped to tell her it was done.

Kirsten expectantly held out her hand to have her finger pricked for the blood sugar test.

Dr. McDonald laughed slightly as she pricked Kirsten's finger and placed the drop of blood onto a test strip.

"Alright let's do your measurements." She said indicating that Kirsten should lie on the examination table.

"You're right on schedule and your blood sugar is great." She announced a few minutes later, "I'll see you in two weeks"

"Thankyou." Sandy replied grinning as he and Kirsten left the room.

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Kirsten managed to keep herself composed until they got to the parking lot, Sandy had leaned in to kiss her goodbye when her tears of relief finally overflowed, she buried her head into his shoulder unable to wipe the grin from her face but unable to stop crying either, this was probably the thing she liked least about pregnancy, she found it very difficult to control her emotions, she always felt like crying and laughing at the same time.

"Shhh," Sandy whispered "Everything is okay."

"I know," she sobbed, "I'm just so happy and relieved and..." she trailed off unable to finish her train of thought.

"Me too," Sandy said quietly, "I was scared today."

"I know you were, I can always tell." she smiled pulling away from him.

"I need to go." Sandy said placing a hand over her belly as if to say goodbye to the baby. "I love you, both of you."

"Both of us love you too." Kirsten said heading for her car.


	7. 7

Kirsten puts the car into park and climbs out, grabbing her purse off the passenger seat, she leans against the still open door as yet another Braxton-Hicks contraction hits her, the contractions themselves are painless but her already aching back does not respond well, tensing up, becoming so painful this time that it almost takes her breath away.

After it passes, maybe 30 seconds later she walks or more correctly waddles into the house and collapses into the nearest available couch. Today has not been good, her father, now that he is more confident in her health and that of the baby is upping her workload again, today was particularly stressful, the company is in final negotiations for a major property development deal. She hasn't slept more than two hours in three nights, thanks to the combination of insomnia that also plagued her during her pregnancy with Seth and her nose being constantly blocked, yet another charming side effect of pregnancy hormones.

She wishes Sandy was home. He would massage her back for her, relieve maybe a little of the pain even if he didn't, the feeling of his hands against her skin would be instantly calming. She closes her eyes, in desperate need of sleep she knows won't come, another Braxton-Hicks contraction comes, this one hurts a little more than the last, both in her stomach and back, but nothing she can't handle. When she was pregnant with Seth she must have gone into false labor 50 times, starting at about 25 weeks, which is exactly where she is now, she remembers this well.

She remembers her OB telling her that lying on her left side would stop the false labor, she doesn't quite believe that but tries anyway, awkwardly maneuvering to her left, her tummy is much larger this time than it was with Seth, another sign to her that the baby is a girl.

Another contraction comes and she is getting a little scared, it hurts more than she remembers but maybe time has blurred her memory, or age decreased her pain tolerance. She wishes someone would come home even though she is sure it's nothing, she doesn't want to be alone. She closes her eyes, still hoping in vain that she will fall asleep.

She's not quite sure how much time has passed when Seth comes bounding in the front door, slamming it behind him and dumping his backpack and shoes at the foot of the stairs. Another contraction hits her and this one is strong enough that she moans out in pain. Seth hears her as he is crossing the front living room on his way to the den.

"Mom, are you okay?" he asks, Kirsten can't see his face but she can hear the fear in his voice.

"I'm fine, just a bad backache." She replies hoping he can't hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"Have you taken some Tylenol or something?" he asks sounding completely unconvinced.

"No, maybe it will help though." She says, slowly pulling herself up to a sitting position before standing.

Standing, thankfully made Kirsten's back ache a little less, she walks into the kitchen following Seth who is clearly frazzled, Kirsten could see his hands shake as he pours her a glass of apple juice and pops two Tylenol out of the packet lying on the bench near the sink, she smiles as the baby gives a firm kick, to ease Seth's mind, she says "Seth, come and feel this."

Seth hands her the juice and painkillers, she swallows most of the juice and the Tylenol in one gulp placing the glass on the kitchen table and guiding Seth's hand to the spot on her tummy where the baby is kicking up a storm. Seth laughs a little as the baby moves beneath his hand, Kirsten has a goofy grin on her face her mind eased somewhat. Seth's smile however quickly turns to into a worried frown as Kirsten's stomach hardens under his hand and she cries out, terrified and in pain.

"Mom?" Seth says as her tummy finally relaxes after what seems to be an eternity, his voice is high and to Kirsten he looks as white as a ghost.

"Seth, I'll be fine, it's just false labor, it happened maybe 50 or 60 times with you." She snaps as she tries to stop her hands from shaking.

"How can you be so sure?" Seth snaps right back, his voice still much higher than usual.

"Because the contractions are not regular amongst other things, or at least I don't think they are." She adds the last part of the sentence quietly, realizing that she has no real idea weather the contractions are regular or not.

"Mom, maybe we should go to the hospital, just to make sure." Seth says quietly.

"No, there is no way…" Kirsten starts before being interrupted by another contraction, she looks over at Seth, he is even whiter than before, her hands are shaking uncontrollably, she wants to cry but needs to keep it together in front Seth, he is freaked out enough over what she is still entirely sure is nothing.

"Mom, really I've been home maybe ten minutes and you've had three contractions, now while I know next to nothing about babies, Summer has been reading about the whole thing and I know that babies are not supposed to be born this soon, I also know that the practice contractions are not supposed to hurt, please…" Seth says panicking.

Kirsten interrupts him, "OK." She says knowing that the ignore it and it will go away approach is no longer working; she is as freaked out as Seth is.

Kirsten watches silently, wringing her shaking hands as Seth writes a note of explanation, in case this really is something and they are not back by the time Sandy and Ryan arrive home, she is thankful that Seth hasn't called Sandy, he is in court today, she doesn't want him freaking out.

She can feel her stomach tense up again, she takes a note of the time, before walking out to the car and climbing into the passenger seat without argument, although she wasn't a fan of Seth's driving at the best of times she knew she was in no condition to drive herself. Seth jumps behind the drivers seat and takes off down the driveway at what feels 120 miles an hour, Kirsten admonishes him "Seth, I would like to arrive at the hospital alive."

"Sorry." He replies slowing down slightly.

Another contraction hits her and Kirsten takes note of the time, she desperately hopes the clock in her car and the one in the kitchen are seriously out of sync because if not barely two minutes have passed and this is far more serious than she thought.

Another two minutes pass and surely enough another contraction hits, the pain at least isn't increasing but it is still enough to freak her out, that and the fact that they are far approaching the hospital. Her heart begins to race as they draw closer, she has hated hospitals as long as she can remember, and she hated them even more after her mother died. She tries to calm herself down knowing that stress will do nothing to help her situation. Seth she notes has been strangely silent throughout the trip, another contraction comes and she can't control her emotions any longer, tears stream silently down her cheeks as Seth pulls the car to an abrupt stop at the emergency room doors.


	8. 8

Seth paces up and down the hall outside of the room where Kirsten is lying, he has not been allowed to see her yet and no one will tell him anything, all he can hear is the occasional muffled sob through the thick green door. He called his dad as soon as Kirsten had been whisked off into an examination room, tears steaming down her face.

He wondered how long she had been crying for, he had been so busy concentrating on getting to the hospital in one piece, trying to ignore her moans of pain, that he hadn't noticed her tears. He wondered how afraid she must have been, she had never cried in front of him, not even on the day of her mother's funeral. That day while Caleb, Hailey and even Sandy were wiping away tears, Kirsten just sat stood there, by Katherine's grave, not moving, not speaking, barely breathing, staring straight ahead, eyes glistening with tears unshed. When they got home, after the wake Kirsten disappeared into her room, and all Seth heard for days was the occasional muffled sob, just like now.

He wants his dad to show up, if anything he would be able to find out what was going on. He feels a little guilty, even though he knows, rationally that he has no reason to, maybe if he had been more supportive, maybe if he hadn't caused her so much stress, even though he hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary, maybe if he had done something different this wouldn't be happening.

"Seth!" Sandy runs up to Seth, winded with Ryan following a few steps behind. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I came home today, from school and mom was lying on the couch, I could hear her moaning, she said it was just a backache, but then she really started having contractions, like I could feel her stomach go all hard, I was feeling the baby kick when one happened, I so I made her come here even though she said she was fine, she was so scared in the car, she was crying and now no one will tell me what is happening." Seth replied in one breath.

Seth looked up at Ryan who was hanging back behind Sandy, he looked a little pale. "Are you all right man?" he asks.

"Yeah." Ryan replies, completely unconvincingly, "I just hate hospitals."

Seth and Ryan both snapped their heads in the same directions when they heard sandy snap at a nurse "Why can't you tell me what's going on, she's my wife, pregnant with my baby." Seth could see that Sandy was shaking, barely managing to stop himself from grabbing the nurse and hitting her, he had only seen his dad this angry, this scared a few times before and it scared him, he hated this.

Just then a doctor appeared from Kirsten's room. He called Sandy inside, leaving Ryan and Seth to wonder what the hell was going on. Ryan still looked like hell, pale and clammy, Seth could see the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks expecting Ryan to snap at him, unconsciously bracing himself for a blow.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just the last time this happened, Theresa..." Ryan went quiet unable to finish the sentence, not that he needed to.

After what seemed like an eternity but was probably in reality no more than a few minutes, Sandy opened the door and signalled to the Seth and Ryan that it was okay to come inside, Seth almost ran to the door, relieved, Ryan was more reluctant only entering the room after Sandy asked him to.

Kirsten looked exhausted, but far more relaxed than before, her cheeks were tearstained and flushed. Seth looked down at her stomach nervously and was relieved to see that she still looked pregnant.

Ryan spoke first, "So what's going on?" Seth could hear the hesitation in his voice, like it wasn't his place to ask.

"Yeah, what's going on?" he echoes, partially because he has learnt it makes Ryan feel more comfortable and partly because he was curious.

Kirsten shrugs leaving Sandy to answer "She went into premature labor, we don't know why other than it happens more at your mom's age."

"Ok." Seth and Ryan say in unison.

"She and the baby are both fine, but you mom has to stay here for a few days on the drip before she can come home, then she is on complete bed rest for two weeks and if nothing else happens she can resume light activity but she can't go back to work until after the baby is born." Sandy says pointedly, placing particular emphasis, Seth notes on the words bed rest and work.

"What's in the drip?" Ryan asks.

"Does bed rest mean you can't shower?" Seth adds, causing Kirsten to giggle.

"I'm surprised you didn't remark about my age. In the drip is Brethine and I can shower." Kirsten says still giggling.

"Asthma medication?" Ryan questions remembering taking Brethine as a kid.

"Yeah, it relaxes all striated muscle." Sandy replies.

"Are you sure you can shower?" Seth asks.

"Yes." Kirsten replies swatting him on the arm.

A nurse a appears at the door, "I'm sorry Mr. Cohen but visiting hours are over."

"Ok, bye sweetheart." Sandy says before kissing his wife goodnight.

"Gross dad." Seth says loudly before adding "Night mom."

"Good night Kirsten." Ryan says as they file out of the room, exhausted and relieved.


End file.
